Is it worth it?

[Jinx_]

Looking to get the 6 pygmy cories and 4 otos.
My singular oto needs friends, they like friends.
Cories, I heard they're active and fun to watch.

They're not a bad price together.

My main concerns are:

What if they're kept in much different water from mine? They can be sensitive, especially the otos. What if they pose a risk to my guppies or my current singular? In terms of diseases?

Worth it?

Also, was looking at one of these. Only cause they're smaller from regular mollies, and probs would be fine in my 60L lol.

Already asked the seller my forever questions lmao. Most don't even reply me. Got a problem with me being thorough? lol.

I know they were treated cruely

 

[Essjay]

Remind us of the tank size, please.


I would avoid those balloon mollies like the plague. They are severely deformed with all their insides squashed up so they have health issues. They are still mollies so they need very hard water while cories and otos need soft water.

 

[Jinx_]

Remind us of the tank size, please.


I would avoid those balloon mollies like the plague. They are severely deformed with all their insides squashed up so they have health issues. They are still mollies so they need very hard water while cories and otos need soft water.

60L.

I've kept cories before in my water, they lived long and well.

 

[Jinx_]

No idea what to get for my tank, there is basically nothing that suits.

 

[Essjay]

In another thread you give your hardness as 15 dH/255 ppm, which is a bit hard for cories and otos.
Cories also need a bigger group than 6.

There are some small rainbowfish in the genus Pseudomugil which would like your water and are suitable for the tank size. For example

Pseudomugil signifer – Pacific Blue-eye (Atherinosoma jamesonii, Atherina signata) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

 

[Jinx_]

In another thread you give your hardness as 15 dH/255 ppm, which is a bit hard for cories and otos.
Cories also need a bigger group than 6.

There are some small rainbowfish in the genus Pseudomugil which would like your water and are suitable for the tank size. For example

Pseudomugil signifer – Pacific Blue-eye (Atherinosoma jamesonii, Atherina signata) — Seriously Fish

www.seriouslyfish.com

That's correct, my water is hard.

I tried looking online for the fish, but I can't find any. Sad.

 

[Essjay]

Another fish suitable for hard water and the tank size is endlers. But males only or the tank would be vastly overstocked in no time. There are quite a few different colours/patterns around, and if you live near a Maidenhead Aquatics they usually stock them - cheaper than buying on line with the postage costs.

 

[gwand]

The male yellow tiger endler is a handsome fish. Here is one of my guys.

 

[Jinx_]

Another fish suitable for hard water and the tank size is endlers. But males only or the tank would be vastly overstocked in no time. There are quite a few different colours/patterns around, and if you live near a Maidenhead Aquatics they usually stock them - cheaper than buying on line with the postage costs.

Thing is, I already have endlers and reg guppies. And most likely hybrids between these two as well.

 

[Jinx_]

The male yellow tiger endler is a handsome fish. Here is one of my guys.
View attachment 351377

Handsome lil' boi

 

[Essjay]

To be honest, with guppies and endlers already in a 60 litre (16 gallon) tank I would be reluctant to add more fish. Do you have a mix of males and females? If you do, you won't have room for more fish before long.

 

[gwand]

Ditto. I had four male platys and five female platys in a 20 gallon tank. I have now sold over 100 juveniles to a local fish store. I never planned on being in the fish business. It is a pain in the neck netting all those little guys. I ended up rehoming the females.

 

[Jinx_]

To be honest, with guppies and endlers already in a 60 litre (16 gallon) tank I would be reluctant to add more fish. Do you have a mix of males and females? If you do, you won't have room for more fish before long.

More males than females lol, but I will be keeping a few babs. It's why I will be setting up a 55L, for fry. Keep a few babs, sell the rest.

Hm. I know I might not be this successful selling them, who even wants share of the trouble hm.
Is there a nice fish that would be happy to take them as feeders? I'm attached to my guppies, and won't rehome the females.

A ram? I'd move shrimps and kuhlis to the 55L then. Just brainstorming, rams like bigger tanks and is hit or miss with their dominance.

 

[Essjay]

Rams - which type, there are two species - rams, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (various colour forms - blue, gold German etc) and Bolivian rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus.
Both are soft water fish, although altispinosus can live in water a bit harder than ramirezi but not as hard as your water. The other thing with ramirezi is they also need water warmer than most fish can cope with. And both do need bigger tanks than 55 litres.

If you did set up the second tank and mixed your tap water with some form of pure water such as reverse osmosis this would lower the hardness to levels suitable for soft water fish. Though not rams because of the temperature confliction (and tank size).

 

[Jinx_]

Rams - which type, there are two species - rams, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (various colour forms - blue, gold German etc) and Bolivian rams, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus.
Both are soft water fish, although altispinosus can live in water a bit harder than ramirezi but not as hard as your water. The other thing with ramirezi is they also need water warmer than most fish can cope with. And both do need bigger tanks than 55 litres.

If you did set up the second tank and mixed your tap water with some form of pure water such as reverse osmosis this would lower the hardness to levels suitable for soft water fish. Though not rams because of the temperature confliction (and tank size).

I was only brain storming, not planning a ram. Just to see if there's a fish suitable for my, my tank size for eating excess fry?